Wal-Mart: The battle continues

The proposed Wal-Mart in Quinsigamond Village has caused a heated debate on either side of the coin. Many residents in Quinsigamond Village feel that a Wal-Mart Supercenter is not the appropriate business to be built in the City nor in their back yard.

There have been articles in the Worcester T&G and certainly on the Worcester First website, but what I find interesting is that few people are calling for Mayor Lukes, City Council and, even, City Manager, Michael V. O'Brien, to give their opinion on the box store and what impact, if approved, the store may have on the City.

With this year being an election year, it seems as if city leaders are in a "wait-and-see" mode, because with the recent vote (7-2), to move Medicare-eligible municipal retirees to a Medicare supplement plan for their future health care coverage, City Councilors aren't the most popular people in the City at the moment.

This is coupled with the City facing a $5 million budget deficit, and the Council wanting to cancel the August 7th meeting and wait until the August 28th meeting to decide how the City is going to address the deficit. One council member, Frederick Rushton, representing District 5, put words to paper and stated, "We can’t wait until Aug. 28 to figure out how we’re going to deal with a $5 million budget deficit. We’ve got to face the music and make some decision as soon as possible. Now is not the time to go on vacation. The longer we wait, the deeper the cuts will be", as told to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

District 3 Councilman, Paul P. Clancy, Jr., chose to recuse himself from the vote due to having immediate family members who would be affected by the council's vote. Some people may say that Councilor Clancy and Rushton, made the fact that immediate family members may be affected by the vote as a cop-out, but due to a law dealing with conflict of interest, Clancy and Rushton chose to recuse themselves.

So, the City of Worcester is facing some hard times, but I've been told that the City has faced dire times and has come up with viable solutions. I certainly hope so and remain optimistic that the Council, will make the best possible decision for the City.

Be sure to listen to Episode #2 of the Talkcast regarding this topic and hear what listeners think about Wal-Mart.